A recent Ubuntu global survey showed that only 28% of respondents were from the US, and the majority of these were using the OS only for basic functions such as Web, database and backup servers while only a small minority used it for advanced work such as cluster computing or virtualization. More here

One major selling point of the Ubuntu Server edition of its OS is the adoption of cloud computing. Cloud computing is the generic term for an emerging technology that delivers hosted services over the Internet; it allows companies to add capabilities or increase capacity without having to spend on infrastructure or license new software. Installing the Ubuntu OS allows companies to set up applications on Amazon’s EC2 Cloud Computing service or use Ubuntu’s Enterprise Cloud tool to build their own cloud inside the corporate firewall.